Paloma Summit, Sequoia Equities Ripoff refused to return ANY deposit money Foothill Ranch California
Sequoia Equities, owner of the Paloma Summit Apartments in Foothill Ranch, has refused to release any of my nearly $2000 in deposit money.
My family gave notice in proper time in January for moving out February 8, 2005. The apartment had been our residence for more than six months.
Apartment was cleaned thoroughly. Before being a tenant here, I was a landlord in Los Angeles county. I never received an apartment back from a tenant in as fine a shape as we returned this one. We requested a walkthrough with one of their people in order to maximize the return of our deposit.
I walked through with a maintenance person, who complimented us on the fine state we left the apartment. Nonetheless, he pulled out a sheet and started adding up some rather remarkable figures. The different figures for cleaning, carpet cleaning and painting seemed carefully calibrated to equal the entire normal deposit of $500 (our deposit was higher than the standard).
Exhausted after a day of cleaning through the apartment, I had the following discussion.
Me: So, we work all day to get this apartment into near show-ready condition. Now you tell us that you are still going to take $320 from us?
Maintenance guy: Yeah, well, we need to paint, of course.
Me: Look, the walls are clean except a small spot on one wall.
Mainenance guy: We still need to paint. I cut you more slack than my manager would.
(It's funny - I've been living here for six months running a home-based business. Most apartments here turn over in a couple of months, so I should have seen a small army of painters fixing up the apartments. Never saw a single one.)
Me: OK. The point of this walk through is to find out what we can do to get back more of our deposit. What can we do to get back more of our $320?
Maintenance guy: Nothing.
About a week after moving, we did receive a statement telling us to expect about $1500 (out of almost $2000) to be returned.
It is now March 8, 2005, one month after moving. There is still no sign of the deposit. Two messages have been left with the main office, but no one has responded. It is now one week after the California mandated deadline for a return of deposit.
I was previously a landlord, and I personally know the temptation of keeping a tenants security deposit at the end of a lease. I never did so, but the motivation is strong: the money is in your hands, there will be no repeat business with this person and -- prior to the Internet -- there was no way to warn future tenants of the indiscretions of the landlord.
California law allows damages for twice the amount of the deposit for bad faith withholding of security deposits, which Sequoia Equities is clearly guilty of here. I will be seeking the return of $5000, the maximum allowed in Orange County Small Claims Court.
This appears to be a standard operating tactic for Sequoia Equities. I am seeking other individuals who have had similar problems with Sequoia. I am also seeking billings from AUM, the company which handles utilities for Sequoia.
For completeness, here is a list of the other properties that this company runs:
Sequoia Equities
Corporate Office
1777 Botelho Drive
Suite 300
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
PHONE
(925) 945-0900
FAX
(925) 256-3780
Alicante Apartments
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
Apple Creek Apartments
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
Ballena Village Apartments
Alameda, CA 94501
Cambridge Glen Apartments
Davis, CA 95616
Costa Del Sol Apartments
Alameda, CA 94501
The Cove Apartments
Tiburon, CA 94920
Cross Creek Apartments
Dublin, CA 94568
Cypress Point Apartments
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Deer Valley Apartments
Roseville, CA 95661
Flora Apartments
Walnut Creek, CA 94595
Hidden Hills Apartments
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
Highlands
Grand Terrace, CA 92313
La Valencia Apartments
Campbell, CA 95008-4064
Marine View Apartments
Alameda, CA 94501
Niguel Summit Apartments
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
North Bay Apartments
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Park Ridge Apartments
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
Plum Tree Apartments
Martinez, CA 94553
Post Street Towers Apartments
San Francisco, CA 94109
Quail Terrace Apartments
Fairfield, CA 94533
Regency Plaza
Martinez, CA 94553
Reserve at Capital Center
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
Sandpiper Village
Vacaville, CA 95687
Seaview Summit Apartments
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
Shadow Oaks Apartments
Cupertino, CA 95014
Shadowridge Apartments
Simi Valley, CA 93065
Sharps & Flats Apartments
Davis, CA 95615
Sheffield Greens Apartments
Fairfield, Ca 94533
Shoreline Apartments
Alameda, CA 94501
Spring Lake Apartments
Santa Rosa, CA 95405
Sterling Heights Apartments
Benicia, CA 94510
Swan Lake
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
Three Crown Apartments
Alameda, CA 94501
Tower Apartments
Alameda, CA 94501
Trinity House Apartments
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
The Villas Apartments
San Ramon, CA 94583
The Villas at Wood Ranch
Simi Valley, CA 93065
University Village - Davis
Davis, CA 95616
University Village - Riverside
Riverside, CA 92501
Ed
Foothill Ranch, California
U.S.A.
5 Updates & Rebuttals
Charles
Phenix City,Alabama,
U.S.A.
Most landlords treat people like garbage even good tenants
#6Consumer Comment
Sat, March 31, 2007
Most, landlords treat people like garbage sense landlords have a system to report bad tenants, well good tenants need a system to report bad landlords this is a warning do not rent from raptis homes inc. After, this experince I will also never rent from any landlord in my lifetime they all lie about u & treat u like a piece of garbage. Us, good tenants need a system to report bad landlords!.
Brian
Grand Terrace,California,
U.S.A.
Unhappy tenant
#6Consumer Comment
Thu, March 29, 2007
Seqouioa equities sucks!!!I live in the highlands apartments in Grand Terrace and can not get any of my maintenence requests completed or even aknowledged. Vinci and other managment only care about fixing vacant apartments to get new tennants. Once you sign the lease you are treated like trash!!! DONT LIVE HERE!!! DONT TRUST SEQUOIA EQUITIES!!!!
Desmond
Foothill Ranch,California,
U.S.A.
Failure to Comply
#6Consumer Comment
Thu, August 10, 2006
I posted previous to this report. Here is an update. I faxed a letter to Regional Manager, Corporate Office and Leasing office requesting repairs under California Civil Code 1942.
These repairs remain imcomplete and only a half hearted attempt has been made to do them.
Now the leasing office refuse to deal with me because off web postings and stated that I have to put all maitence through agency that is lease holders. So they saying that occupants have no rights or should I say they are to cheap to do the repairs.
Desmond
Foothill Ranch,California,
U.S.A.
Many Complaints about this property
#6Consumer Comment
Thu, July 06, 2006
As a resident of this property, I have heard many complaints about the management response to various issues.
As a resident of this property I have complaints. Certain repair issues that I have raised in my appartment have not been dealt with. All what maitainence does is look at the problem. It seems nothing gets repaired because of budget restraints made by Corporate.
The 4 gates that residents enter and exit by have never worked 100% and remained opened. In fact the main gate into the property by the leasing office has never closed since we moved in. So much for a gated community. In fact because of this we have had non residents gain access to the pool area and people speeding through the property well in excess of the 5 mph speed limit.
Some residents do not pick up after their dogs and management fail to enforce the code. A number of drains on the property are not secured and can be dislogged just by walking over them. They remain unsecured despite a maitainence request been placed.
Carrie
Yuba City,California,
U.S.A.
Yep, Sequoia Sucks.
#6UPDATE EX-employee responds
Fri, June 02, 2006
I'm not sure if this will reach you, but I am a former employee of Sequoia Equities. I worked in Davis, CA. I am not jaded (ie, was not fired), but I stayed with the company until they sold the property. I still work there, but with the new company.
SEQUOIA SUCKS. Not only do they treat their residents badly, they also treat their employees badly. You think they don't return your phone calls? Try managing their property! They left us for 3 days with no electricity and no phone because they didn't pay the bills. They did withhold deposits, and did all kinds of illegal stuff, like not sending itemized receipts for charges, such as carpet cleaning, not returning deposits until months after someone moved out, etc. I can't believe they're still in business. One of their properties here in Davis was voted the worst place to live in Davis.